Question: Let $X,$ $Y,$ and $Z$ be points such that $\frac{XZ}{XY} = \frac{ZY}{XY} = \frac{1}{2}.$ If $Y = (1, 7)$, $Z = (-1, -7)$, then what is the sum of the coordinates of $X$?
Answer: From the problem, we can see that $XZ = ZY$ and $XZ + ZY = XY$, which means that $X,$ $Y,$ and $Z$ form a degenerate triangle. In other words, $Z$ is the midpoint of $XY$. Since from Y to Z, we go 2 steps left and 14 steps down, we do the same to arrive at $X = (-1 - 2, -7 -14) = (-3, -21).$ Therefore, the sum of the coordinates of $X$ is $\boxed{-24}.$